Appreciating the Little Things

This morning I found a stash of earl grey tea that I forgot I had. (I thought I had run out a couple of days ago and wouldn't have any more until my next trip to the grocery store.) So this unexpected surprise made me really happy. It's kind of like finding $20 in the pocket of a jacket you haven't worn since last winter.

I know, I know. Maybe it sounds like a silly thing to be happy about. But, well, you know me well enough by now to know that I like to be happy. Life isn' perfect, and I definitely have my share of problems. But dwelling on the negative is too much of a downer. If I can find something to be happy about, I will.

So of course that line of thinking kept going, and I starting thinking of other "little things" in life that make me happy. And the first thing that came to mind was my cute fuzzy socks. I have several pairs, and they're all silly... and they all make me smile.

I mean, how can you not be happy when wearing a pair of socks like this?

Or some of my other favorites:

And these "stocking stuffers" (pun intended) were some of my favorite things from last Christmas.

I can't help it. Things like that just make me happy.

And yes, it's true - tea and fuzzy socks don't make the world's (or even my own) problems disappear. But there's no denying that being able to smile does make everything else a little bit easier to deal with. So I will continue to smile about every little thing I can, no matter how silly it might be. Please feel free to join me. :)